FDNY captain applauded after lambasting NYC council on vaccine mandate

Former New York Fire Department Captain Brendan Fogarty received thunderous applause last week after he attacked New York City Council members over the vaccine mandate in an impassioned tirade. 

Fogarty was terminated earlier this year for not getting the COVID-19 injections by February 11^th. He unsuccessfully tried fighting the mandate in court by suing New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 

“You should be ashamed of yourselves. You should be ashamed of yourselves,” Fogarty shouted at a New York City Council hearing Friday during public comment. “Eric Adams is going to be on the wrong side of history.” 

As he said his next words a council member tried to silence him. 

“The people who [crafted the mandates] are the same people who thought slavery was okay,” Fogarty went on, referring to Democrats. 

“Ok, thank you very much – “Councilwoman Gale Brewer quickly interjected, but Fogarty ran over her. 

“The same people who thought segregation in Shea Stadium was okay. You segregated us.” 

“Thank - thank you – thank you very much, sir,” Brewer said in continued attempts to silence the former fire captain, who railed against the city for using his services but not allowing him to be a part of society. 

“I was allowed to work in this city, but I wasn’t allowed to eat in a restaurant in this city!” Fogarty pressed on. “I was allowed to work through the pandemic, but I wasn’t allowed to eat in a restaurant! I could wear the uniform, go to a burning building, but not eat here! What’s wrong with you people? Trust the science, you guys are f*cked up.” 

The raucous applause that accompanied Fogarty’s speech was not appreciated by Brewer, who sternly warned the audience to be silent. 

Firefighters and other New York City residents joined together on Friday to protest the city’s vaccine mandate, which runs contrary to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation. 

While the agency still recommends vaccination, it says "COVID-19 prevention recommendations no longer differentiate based on a person's vaccination status because breakthrough infections occur . . . and persons who have had COVID-19, but are not vaccinated, have some degree of protection against severe illness from their previous infection." 

Now New Yorkers are demanding an end to the mandate and re-employment for all those terminated over it. 

"Remember when we were told to follow the science? Remember that? Well, what happened to that?" Queens City Councilman Robert Holden said Friday, according to CBS News. 

"This is harder than running into a burning building," ex-firefighter Bernadette Mejia said. 

"We had the backs of this city and the city turned their back on us," former Department of Education paraprofessional Joy Amanda said. 

Despite no longer following CDC guidelines, the city said in a statement it will “continue to follow the advice of the health experts to guide our response to COVID-19 and ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers."